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Hypselodoris festiva
Image courtesy of Kevin LeeKorea
On a recent combination business/diving trip to Korea, Kevin Lee was fortunate to have Dr. Koh (author of Sea Slugs of Korea )take time off from his busy schedule and once again show Kevin the nudibranch treasures of Korea Hypselodoris festiva was an exciting find as a result of this trip. This striking chromodorid looks a bit like some of the mid-Atlantic species. It color patterns are quite variable. The variation is in the yellow areas lying between the mid-dorsal line and the dorsal margin. This yellow mark can be absent altogether, be a series of spots or ovals, or be a broken line. Specimens reach 30 mm in length, and are usually found in less than 20 meters of water.
Click here to see Mike's (Webmaster) Video (flash format) of this colorful species, taken in Japan.
Good show Kevin.
Gig Harbor, Washington
Oct., 2009
Kevin Lee on location in Korea
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Though Korea is a bit off the regular path, it offers some spectacular diving, especially off Jeju , Korea’s largest, southernmost island province. Last week, the September water temps were a warm 73~79F (gets down to about 55F in the winter). Tide swings are among the widest in the world, which produces strong swirling currents around the small, volcanic, craggy islets from which we dived. One tiny islet, Seki-Som, is conveniently rigged, underwater, with a web of stout ropes, which assists in navigating back to the exit points and serves as tethers for holding one’s position and even pulling oneself along, against stiff currents. Sorta tricky when lugging a cumbersome camera rig. Lionfish and frogfish are not uncommon in these waters. And colorful soft corals are prolific. Over four days and ten dives, I sighted 11 slug species, one of which, Dolabella auricularia , has got to rank among the most homely of this normally attractive order. I've heard that the east coast of the Korean peninsula offers even greater slug shooting opportunities. All the more reason to return!
Send Kevin email at klq77@hotmail.comm |
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